Airborne troops are fighting some miles inland. More than 640 naval guns - from 4 to 16 inches - had practically silenced the German coastal batteries. The Allied air force was in absolute control.

All through the day, from the 7am landings until dusk, Allied fighter-bombers were dive-bombing, glide-bombing and strafing German defences and communications. They flew into the mouths of guns and dived within feet of the bridges.

Eisenhower had 11,000 planes for the job, and his experts foresaw 20,000 sorties in the day.

SCALED THE CLIFFS

Berlin provided the only place-names in the news. They said they were fighting Allied troops on an 80-mile front between Trouville and Barfleur, on the Cherbourg peninsula.

They spoke of hard fighting around Caen, nine hours after the main landings.

In this landing there were 200 boats, and Berlin spoke of: "The enemy trying to scale the steep coast with the aid of special ladders."

Other landings were being made under strong air protection at Ouistreham and Marcoeuf, and Berlin added: "The landing parties were at once enganged in extremely costly battles."

There is no word at all from the Allied side to support the German statement that we have landed paratroops on Guernsey and Jersey, which lie off the coast.

D Day gliders head over Normandy ahead of attacking Pegasus Bridge (Photo: Mirrorpix)

Hitler's biggest admission was that between Caen and Isigny the allied tanks had penetrated several miles to the south.

"WHAT A PLAN!"

Mr Churchill gave gave the House the facts at noon. "This is the first of a series of landings," he emphasised.

Before sunrise yesterday an armada of 4,000 ships, with several thousand smaller craft, had crossed the channel - which was not too kind and smooth.

Mass airborne landings had been successfully effected. The fire of the shore batteries had been largely quelled and landing on the beaches was proceeding.

"The Anglo-American allies are sustained by about 11,000 first line aircraft," said the Prime Minister.

"So far," he went on, "the commanders who are engaged report that everything is proceeding according to plan - and what a plan!

"There are already hopes that actual tactical surprise has been attained and we hope to furnish the enemy with a succession of surprises during the course of the fighting.

Canadian Troops landing (Photo: Mirrorpix)

"The battle which has now begun will grow constantly in scale and intensity for many weeks to come and I shall not attempt to speculate on its course, but this I may say: Complete unity prevails."

Assembly areas for for the great enterprise started to get ready on Sunday. Strangely, the Germans do not seem to have realised the imminence of the invasion, and they did very little interference.

Bomber Command kept up the intensity of its battering of the French coast all day on Monday, and then at 11.30pm it loosed its invasion force, 1,300 planes, which raked the landing zones from midnight to sunrise.

After them came the navy, with 10,000 men, on the biggest mine-sweeping job in history.

LITTLE OPPOSITION

Berlin radio said: "The sky was darkened by the enormous swarm of Allied planes, which came over in enormous waves."

Correspondents say that General Montgomery is in actual charge of the operation. General Eisenhower stood on a rooftop and watched them go.

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